Blog @ Work

I make my grilled cheese sandwich with a toasty maker. Easy: two sandwiches with two slices of cheese. In the toasty maker. Close toasty maker. Wait a few minutes till the lamp turns out. Done.

I agree with this statement. I am a cat lover and dog lover both. I had two cats in earlier years: Gijs and Hamish. Fifteen years ago I switched to dogs. Since 10 years I got my latest dog Arie. He is neither quiet nor wise, but rather noisy at times and a bit silly. I think cats are wiser than dogs. But I love my Arie dearly. He makes me smile every day. I love that Arie forces me to go out several times a day for his walks. Since I am a writer working from home it is good exercise.

When dealing with loved ones I sometimes limit myself because I think in advance I know them. That notion sets a frame around my interpretation of their ideas or actions. This is not always right. Sometimes they surprise me and I have to let go of my pre-set mind. I have to give them a chance to fully be able to speak their minds without my bias of interpretation.

In my study, I have a photo of Saiku, my African foster child. A 5-year old in the picture, smiling and looking firmly into the camera. Saiku is 14 years old now and lives in Gambia with his parents and siblings. Because of my financial contribution he can go to school. Since I don’t have any kids of my own Saiku is very close to my heart. I like the idea that for one kid I made a difference in life. Once in a while, I get information on his whereabouts from the organization. He is doing great and lives a happy life.

Perhaps it has something to do with Tolstoy becoming a Christian anarchist and advocating strong beliefs of non-violent actions. I can only interpret this as him wanting writers to be gentle in their writings and non-violent in their teachings to the public. In his time there were a lot of anarchists who wanted the public to act in a violent way to overthrow the system. They wrote to that effect. He wanted a different course of action. Apparently, Gandhi and Marthin Luther King were very much taken by these ideas.

Optimism is hopefulness and confidence about the future or the successful outcome of something. It is also the doctrine, especially as set forth by Leibniz, that this world is the best of all possible worlds.

I think optimism is a very important attitude in life to overcome difficulties and stay mentally healthy. For me, it is not a given since I am somewhat of a pessimist or a realist as I would phrase it. This has not helped me a great deal and I am working on being more optimistic about things and Life in general. Hope is a grand aspect and very important to have. It indeed brings forth all sort of great achievements. Positive thinking is a derivate from this. As much as I love the mere thought of this I sometimes get very tired of people who are taking positive thinking to the extreme. But I can see the advantages of being an optimist. I wished I had more of this trait.

I agree with this quote. I love this about blogging: the opining on the fly. Usually, I read the prompts in the early morning with a strong cup of coffee and I think about it for a few minutes before writing. I use the blogging as a good wake-me-up; it’s lovely to start the day this way.

I love blogging although I am not very good at it. I think there is a difference between good blogging and merely answering the prompts. I do the latter. Therefore my blog entries are always short. I still am in the learning process.

Having said that, I sort of like it that my blogs are short. I fantasize about readers and I think of them as people with not much time and lots of things to do. Therefore writing short blogs give me the best guarantee they will have those few minutes to read it. Perhaps if I write longer it’s too much and they stop reading altogether. I wouldn’t want to lose my readers.

I need the prompts to start blogging as well. It’s difficult for me to come up with a subject and I don’t always know what to write about. To challenge this I have come up with a new blog of columns to write a column a day for hundred days as part of the Give it a 100 challenge "Invalid Item"  . It’s so much more difficult to create something out of the blue but I am trying to do that as well.

So, here I am with a few personal blogs, a few poetry blogs and every day the opportunity to write. It’s awesome and I am very fortunate. I should make more time to react to other people’s blog, though!

But my Muse is challenged every day and blogging benefits my writing.

I watched, took part and enjoyed the Quill Awards tremendously. I nominated a few of which two got indeed a Quill. I was nominated 3 times myself. I am familiar with almost everybody that got a Quill or an HM. Only a handful were strangers to me. I took part as a juror in two categories. I send a handful of c-notes to some of the winners and Elle afterward.

This was my first Quill Award Event and together with the PreQuill Gala the week before I thought it was awesome and great fun. I am looking forward to next year.

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When my parents were both alive we sometimes went to the zoo in their hometown. My last recollection of a visit was when I took my dog Benji with me years ago. This zoo was the only one in the country where you could take your dog with you inside. So I did. Everything went fine; we loved to watch all the different animals in their accommodation. But when we came to the brown bear my dog suddenly got scared of that big animal and started barking. The bear was looking through the glass at my dog, the dog was looking back and you could tell they weren’t going to be friends. So I left the bear cave in a hurry and waited with my dog outside for everybody to return. That was the only animal in the whole zoo my dog was scared off. This particular zoo housed 150 different animal species so there was a lot to see and enjoy. There are 21 zoos in the country. I only visited 7 of them in my lifetime.

When the grizzly went to the bear academy he loved the accommodation with its trees and hollow stems to play with. They pimped up the housing with an island surrounded by water for all the animals to visit. One day a crawler, a very large insect, got mixed up in the excitement and the bears got scared so they evacuated the building. The zookeeper kept the animals together while cleaning up and ate a pickle afterward.

I like chewing, biting and swallowing precious foods. I am a very oral person. I like the feel of my stomach being full. That’s the way I feel about my dog, satisfied and being full of love. It’s not a person, of course, I am very much aware of that but my dog Arie is the closest to my heart. I love to smell and savor his presence. Putting my face, eyes closed, onto his fur and swallowing everything there is to swallow: his uniqueness, his presence, his personality, him being my dog and a companion. I am still very much in love with that creature. He still makes me smile every day!

Rattle snake, smoke alarm, baby rattler, cutlery when falling down, an old car. That’s as far as I can come up with a list.
I would pick the smoke alarm’s high pitching sound. It scares my dog when he hears it. Yesterday we were at my father’s widow’s house. Her alarm in the garage was out of order, probably the battery and that sound was audible every few seconds. My dog instantly changed his mood and he was very scared. It is an unsettling sound, which is what it’s meant for.

There is nothing or nobody of my past that comes to mind who impacted my community with their actions. I used to think about that…nobody of my former classmates, for example, have taken on a job in the public eye. Nobody got famous that I know of. But all that can still happen There were a few colleagues of the university I worked for years ago who had their 5 seconds of quoting on the national news. But that’s because they were asked as an expert to some event in the news.

I think you can write about anything you wish, of every event in your life you choose. That’s why I don’t understand why you can’t scrap about anything you like. What’s the difference? You can even make images or lines about your birth if you choose to do so. The only event perhaps that doesn’t apply for scrapping is the event of your death. With writing, you are indeed able to cover that episode as well in one form or the other. That’s my thought, but I am not a scrapper.

Sometimes

Sometimes
I act
as if
my life is over.

For example:
I only see old people
in the streets these days.

The younger ones
(they’re outnumbered)
I examine carefully
with a smile on my face
and an instant memory
of me being that age.

I am invisible,
of a certain era.
No longer a looker
with a swift walk.

I study faces, people
to remind me
of times gone bye
and
on top of that

I watch daytime television!

URGH

— the news,
but still:
that’s something
really, really old people do
with lots of time
on their hands
and numbered
days

—or poets
looking for clues.

Poetry, like mathematics, is a pure, strong and powerful language with its own deeply creative meaning. It describes a totally new world with its own parameters, rules, regulations and truths.

Where mathematics is clean and only to be interpreted in one unique way, I think poetry can be fluid and hold different layers. There is the difference.
But both are holders of a totally unique universe to describe the world.

Yes, I personally am a chicken when it comes to my health. My mind can wander off to the deathliest illnesses and diseases imaginable. When there is something on television, or in the papers, or on the Net I go, Oh, gee that’s also possible…and I am very nervous about it although there is nothing wrong with me. For ten minutes, then I will forget.

My character would be so nervous about living in general. Not only is s/he scared of getting a terrible illness, but everything can scare her. From having a fire in the house when she leaves for an errant, to getting hit by a car on the street, to growing older, to having to live without her dog although he is still very much alive and kicking. The rustle of leaves in the trees or the footsteps in the hallway can trigger fantasies of doom and disaster in her mind. She is a total wreck. She is an anti-hero. But of course, there must be a turning point in the story where she becomes bold and brave and act with courage and saves the day. Haven’t figured out that part yet.

Just behind my computer screen, there is a frame hanging with a text in Dutch. It says:

“Go placidly amid the noise and the haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence. As far as possible, without surrender, be on good terms with all persons. Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even to the dull and the ignorant; they too have their story. Avoid loud and aggressive persons; they are vexatious to the spirit. If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain or bitter, for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself. Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans. Keep interested in your own career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time. Exercise caution in your business affairs, for the world is full of trickery. But let this not blind you to what virtue there is; many persons strive for high ideals, and everywhere life is full of heroism. Be yourself. Especially, do not feign affection. Neither be cynical about love; for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment it is as perennial as the grass. Take kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth. Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings. Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness. Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here. And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should. Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be. And whatever your labors and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life, keep peace in your soul. With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be cheerful. Strive to be happy. Max Ehrmann, "Desiderata”

It is a very powerful text I like to read frequently. Sometimes my eyes just wander and focus on one line. I can contemplate on it and it relaxes me. A friend gave me this text.

Grace is balance to ride the chaos? If he means: ‘Go with the flow and manage to act with it’ I agree. Resolving the chaos would mean you are no part of that chaos, and I think we are indeed part of that chaos. I think there is something arrogant and warlike about putting the world in order but unlike Cohen I don’t think we have a choice other than to do this kind of warlike acts in our efforts to survive life. We are born and wired that way. I think we are an anomaly of Nature, a fluke of Life and we have no choice other than to try to find and fight our way back into it.

We are the only species capable of being arrogant and warlike in our efforts to make sense of our place on this earth. That is not necessarily a bad thing. And it’s not something we can avoid either.

As soon as we balance that ride, i.e. find grace we accept our place amongst the stars and become part of it. When we become part of it we can take care of ourselves in Nature, then we can take care of our planet. Unfortunately, we are not there yet. Because we have trouble accepting our place in the scheme of things we are not capable of taking care of ourselves. We pollute Nature instead of nurturing her. We alienate ourselves instead of act out of love.

Beautiful quote! I was a big fan of Cohen. He had a magnificent voice and his lyrics meant something.

In order to make a living this small dealer of watches seduced his clients on the computer by defraud. When people complained about it by phone he usually was amused by their stupidity and laughed. He saw his acts as a normal but steep way of getting things done.

I am not good at so-called pranks, on April Fool’s Day or any other day. I usually stay alert on this particular day because of all the potentials of fake news. I think in this day and age with the possibilities of fake news one has to be very careful. Especially with the internet. Also with the photoshopping of images. A lot of damage can be done, and then there is no joke at all. Only bad taste.

"Such a shame. That boy had such promise." Shaking her head, she remembered some of the times she'd seen him playing soccer; he was a genius with the ball even at a very early age.

“What did become of him, that skinny boy? I’ve seen him on television.”

“He didn’t become a professional soccer player, mom, that’s for sure. Although I wished he had!” Her son replied, pulling away her pillow to fluff it up a little, at the Institute for the demented elderly.

“Little Donny Trump? What did become of him…?”

Rusty ~An Acrostic poem


Rusty:
Under pressure
Style and form variable
This needs exploration…
Yell: “I want to write a poem!”

Yay: I need to express myself!
T’being months without writing lyrics
So, I better get on that word wagon
Unify a poem a day for 30 days
Ravish, if I can pull this off.

I tried to google these categories, but nothing came up other than ‘show, don’t tell’ in writing. So, I don’t know what each of these categories is, really. Although I think I have a little understanding of the words: motivational ~ telling as in how to/ giving motivation through writing; emotional: using emotions in writing; mental: using thoughts; stage direction: as in plays; descriptive: description; passive: using a lot of to be verbs?

I think telling is important. Telling is showing information about something.

A backstory are reflections on the past and info dumps are either a back story or convey facts about the characters or world. In both cases, these facts are not happening in the moment of the scene.

I am not familiar with these words so I am not sure if I would spot them right away.

There have been two occasions with my photo in the paper. One time when I was in high school performing a school play. I was doing a dance dressed up in orange with an orange wig as the mistress of the main character. The second time was while attending a huge national demonstration against nuclear weapons. I was attending the demonstration when suddenly policemen on horses came to disturb the peaceful demonstration. I started to flee, and at that moment a photographer shot his pic. It was on the front page of the national newspaper.

I have been on local radio for talks on developmental countries while I was part of this group the World shop, a group of people dedicated bringing awareness on developmental issues. And my poetry was read out load once in a national radio show. Furthermore, I volunteered a local radio show in a hospital for a few months, reading work of national writers combined with music I chose.

I agree. Emptiness, loneliness, and misery are very unpleasant states to be in. I think every human being will try to avoid this by creating new ways to cope, new ways to come out this predicament. Humans are very resourceful and they will come up with ways to better their situation if they can help themselves.

The study of real life is very important to novelists who create a real world inside their stories. Writers who are able to capture real life in words make their characters real people with believable personalities and a setting that has strings with the outside world are more prone to capture the imagination of the readers. Even in fantasy, the characters have to be similar to humans in words or action.

It all depends however how you study real life. By sitting behind your desk doing research, or by mingling with people. That highly depends on the personality of the novelist.

I am one of those people buying Xmas gifts throughout the year. That way when I see something for someone I already have it, no worries at the last minute. It is even cheaper since I sometimes buy a bargain when the prices are dropped. That probably explains why I can’t answer the second question: I can’t recall any of my Xmas gifts being the best ever. Maybe I should pay more attention to detail this year and buy something extra-ordinary. The gifts are usually small items, just for the fun of giving.

That would be yesterday. I did my kitchen cleaning and washed the dishes. Not a big deal for some, but for me, it was a huge task and overdue for more than a week. See: "Invalid Entry" . This morning it was the first in a long time I woke up in a clean house. Yay!! I loved it. Hopefully, I will keep it that way.

Charlotte did a good job, probably. ‘Wuthering Heights’ is a great novel and a hit and bestseller, still. But I am vain enough to say NO to this question, at first. I wouldn’t want that to happen. My novels are my babies; so to speak, they would be perfect as they were when ready. Although if I had a sister with as much talent as Emily I might reconsider. Perhaps that way the novel would be even better in the end. But you never know, now would you.

That being said, I do believe your writing is out of your hands once it is written. Others can do with it as they like. So if somebody with talent wants to rewrite my baby, who am I to complain, especially when I am dead.

LOL, I am reading this prompt at 4 am, AND answering it. Does that answer the question?

I usually wake up two times on an average night. My computer is always on standby so I go to my study in the middle of the night to see if there are any red notifiers on WdC. Because of the time difference, it’s 10 pm at WdC so there are bound to be some emails, newsfeed messages or notifications. I usually only read them, and not answer them straight away, so tonight is the exception. I thought it was rather funny to read this prompt in the middle of the night. Normally, I drink something and go to bed again after that, hoping I will sleep again immediately which is almost always the case. Yawn! I am off!

This morning is all about procrastinating. My kitchen needs cleaning up but I don’t feel like it, I am not in the mood. So I use writing behind the computer today as a means to avoid my work in the house. It’s been this way for a few days now and I am not happy with it. Although the rest of the house is fairly done, that kitchen and the washing up is a real thorn in my eye. I hate it if I do this, but I really loathe washing the dishes. It is a chore I detest. But it also is something that has to be done. Perhaps if I set a deadline for it. Maybe that will help?

I solemnly pledge that I will start with my housework in the afternoon by 3.30. I even set the alarm. That gives me plenty of time to do other things.

Note: Sorry, I thought Lynn had information overload, so no prompt and we had to run the blog anyway! Guess I misinterpret the prompt today!!

Clothing gives a quick first impression and therefore can tell in an instance with non-verbal communication to what group of people you belong. I haven’t read the book so for me it wouldn’t work these ‘Handsmaid Tale’robes, but if you know the content of the book, you know what these women are afraid of.

Clothing gives information about groups, a person’s age, sex, personality, socioeconomic status, values and political ideologies. It provides visual clues. So if you want to communicate and you don’t have much time or verbal tools, this is it.

Clothing can give a form of security, it can tell that you are part of a certain group, it also can give the message that others who are not dressed the same don’t belong. So it is both including as it is excluding people. Youth also use clothing as a means to construct an identity.

When trouble sits on my shoulder it can go both ways. Or it will inhibit me to write or it will activate my Muse. That solely depends on the sort of trouble.

What I do know is that participating in blog forums with mandatory prompts works best for me. That way my Muse is active on a daily basis. When trouble hits there is already a system in place to take over. In that case, the chance that my writing continues despite the trouble is the greatest. I need my daily blog to be in the flux of writing. It helps me to stay mentally active, keeps me in the flow and helps my mood by venting with words. Writing gives my creativity a boost and is a healthy way to deal with troubles. Maybe they won’t disappear immediately, but I will feel and perform much better because of my writing.

I think intentional daydreaming differs from mind’s wandering because it is on purpose. You are conscious of the fact that you are doing it and the wandering of the mind is without you knowing it, you are just spacing out.

The first can probably help your creativity because it can help emerge different scenes of a story you can use. You can then create different scenarios. It can perhaps unlock the subconscious and let your mind freely wanders on different topics, but in a guided way. You are the active observer.

Getting ideas all the time from daydreaming or being bored or whatever is important to writers. We have to be conscious of the material that is present or that arises from the occasion. We then can act immediately by writing or jotting them down. That’s the reason I have a little notebook in my handbag. I don’t use it very often outside the house, but it’s there in case I need it. Sometimes I am just sitting in a restaurant or in a coffee corner drinking coffee and observing the passersby with the notebook in front of me. If something catches my attention or I think of something I can write it down for later use.

I am contemplating on using the outdoors more to eavesdrop on other people’s conversations since my dialogues are not that good. I think part of it is that I am writing in a foreign language and English is not the language I hear around me. So I am a bit unfamiliar with the way English/American people speak and use ordinary language. To that end, I sometimes listen to American talk radio. It gives me the tools to focus on dialogues more.

I am not sure about self-driving cars. I think the whole idea of driving a car is that you drive it yourself, feel the rush, use the equipment, be active as the driver, and enjoy the actual driving of the vehicle. And if you don’t drive yourself there is the taxi, where another driver is in the front seat to talk to you. I really don’t know what the benefits are of a self-driving car. They can get into accidents as well, apparently. Furthermore, they can fall easily into the hands of criminals. Only if everyone is driving an autonomous car it will be a success, and I don’t think that is going to happen anywhere soon.

So, for technical purposes, they should go on with its development, but only as a showcase, not as a real opportunity for the future. Perhaps, for transportation on other planets? That would be cool.

AI has already surpassed human intelligence with counting and mathematics I think. Computers already are able to calculate faster and do more complex mathematics than humans. I don’t think that you can call that thinking, but they are close. So, on some tasks, they surpassed humans and replaced us. Robotics is a part of science that is growing.

The Netherlands has a broad array of high-quality universities, both academic and applied sciences. There are three technical universities that focus as an innovation hub for developments around robotics.

It may be hard to believe, but estimations are before the end of this century, 70 percent of today’s occupations will have the potential to be replaced by automation. In other words, robot replacement is just a matter of time. This upheaval is being led by a second wave of automation, one that is centered on artificial cognition, cheap sensors, machine learning, and distributed smarts. This deep automation will touch all jobs, from manual labor to knowledge work. Why robots will take our jobs  

Just as computers and smartphones are a big part of our daily existence, so will robots be in the future. Technology will go on!

I think that can be a good thing. Jobs that are monotonous, messy, heavy and dirty can be fulfilled by robots. That gives people the opportunity to focus on more complex matters like how to interact in a loving way with each other, how to fill up leisure time, how to care for the planet. But some economies will still have manual labor for its people. There still will be a divide between rich and poor countries. Perhaps robotics can help developmental countries, as well.

My dreams are concealed to me; they are too elusive to remember in the morning. Within seconds I forget all about them, it’s not even possible to write something down. Whenever I put the pen down on the paper the story is gone! And believe me, I’ve tried.

What I do remember are my so-called ‘genius dreams’. Dreams that are so powerful because everything inside the dream is set up in a perfect system. They are world building dreams. The pace or sequence of the images is really quick, everything is connected to everything and it feels like I am inside an existing world although the story is incomprehensible, to say the least. It’s all about a system in place, not about the actual story, since I forget that immediately. It’s all cerebral in nature, and I am aware of that inside the dream. That’s all I can say about those dreams, that’s all that’s left in my memory.

I dream this dream system frequently and sometimes I start a new dream sequel based upon an old one the following night. When that happens I am also aware of this inside my dream. I am the watcher of my dream inside my dream. I remember that I’ve been there before, yet I can’t remember what it is all about, though, pity.

I have been there in an actual interview years ago. I was all set up nicely and the interview itself went really well. I was going to get the job, the man told me at the end. That’s when he also said there was one minor thing to be considered: I had to change the way I dressed for that last talk about money and stuff with the CEO. The man said the CEO probably would not like my slightly punk appearance. And if I wanted the job I had to dress differently and wear a skirt. It was the end of the conversation. I stood up, looked him straight in the eye and thanked him for his time. I never looked back. I wasn’t sorry I left, although the job was extremely well paid and it was an interesting job for my career. But I wasn’t going to let my boss dictate me what to wear.

I’ve had several well-paid jobs in higher positions with a lot of freedom to act, including the freedom what to wear! But I had to feel comfortable in my clothes and wear my hair the way I liked it. Simple as that!

The Rock Whisperer approached the stone with care. He walked towards the rock, made a turn to the left, straight ahead, and to the right before he laid both hands on the hard surface. He ticked and tocked on the outer layers of the rock’s skin and sniffed a few times, to inhale the aroma of the big rock. Then he sat down, embraced the rock and was in trance for the rest of the hour.

As he stood up, his verdict was: this rock is sick, it’s got a cold. Let it be. Leave it alone!